Nervously tugging on her Santa hat, she thought of all the reasons this was a terrible idea. Thick tension still bound the circle, a distrust of and disappointment in each other. Unlikely alliances had been forged and queasy friendships searched for solid ground. She'd been trying to avoid them.

An unexpected wild card had been thrown into the mix – Melissa had suggested a Christmas party. Scratch that, Melissa had blackmailed, manipulated and persuaded them until no one would dare disappoint. So here she was.

They were all on edge, after their last costume party, no one was at ease. Dangers also lurked within them, emotions which threatened to tear their circle apart. And the eggnog would surely not help matters.

She searched for someone she knew amongst the crowd, getting lost in the tinsel and carols as her head spun with flashbacks. "Cassie!" Okay, she'd meant someone other than him. "Hey Cassie!" he called, loosely clasping her hand. She turned towards him with a small smile, trying to ignore the tingle spreading from her hand, the warmth she wished could be attributed to festive spirit or alcohol. "Cute onesie."
"Uh, thanks. Cute antlers." He smiled, readjusting their position on his head as he pressed a button to make them light up. "Oh wow, neat."

Fay tramped past, a glass of brandy in her hand and merely pointed, "Mistletoe" as she continued on with a wicked smirk.

She could feel his energy around her, inching closer, hesitant. The instant his lips claimed hers she felt her body melt into his, a 4th of July parade taking place within her body, her eyelids. A moment later screams erupted as every light in the house exploded in a magnificent shower of sparks. They broke swiftly apart with wide eyes, searching in the dark for some explanation. Finding instead his hand, she grabbed him and pulled him out the door.

"I thought that wasn't supposed to happen anymore! We bound the circle! This was supposed to end." She stared at him, bewildered, frustrated, lost.
"I know." He stepped closer.
"I just…" she whispered, too many sentences rushing to her mouth at once. He brushed her arm, slowly gathering her into his. She burrowed into his shoulder, trying to hide in a home she'd been trying to fight. But his husky voice sounded like ocean waves and he smelt like campfires, and she felt herself give in. For tonight she could deal with exploding lightbulbs and stupid reindeer antlers, because they sure beat witch-hunters and empty windows.